Lighten Up

How many of you remember Chieko Okazaki? I do, and I loved her.(where has she gone?) I loved her message to the women of the Church who need "lightening up." She didn't mean that we should act irresponsibly-she meant, let the sunshine into our lives, to not be so hard on ourselves, to give ourselves credit for the good things we do. She reminded us that the good news of the Gospel is that who we are is okay. Our BEST is good enough. She told us often that the Savior came for us-just as we are. If we were perfect, we wouldn't need a Savior. And heaven knows we do. He came to save us in our imperfections. As long as we strive to do our best. He is the Lord of the living, and we make mistakes. He's not embarrassed by us, angry at us, or even shocked. He'll have us in our brokenness, in our unhappiness, in our quilt, and our grief.
We know this world is a dark and scary place sometimes.But we should know that we don't have to walk in darkness. The Savior is our light. He is always ready to come to our aide, if we just ask. He is our light and our life.
The Gospel brings me such joy and such peace! We had a lesson in sunday school not to long ago about how the gospel can bring rest to ones life. What does that mean to you? I know what it means to me. I am determined to be not of this world. I think I have a clearer view of the bigger picture. I do not and will not get caught up in the mire and sorrows of this world. For me and my home, we will dwell on the things of the Lord. So I do find rest! I feel very little turmoil in my life. I have peace and rest, knowing full well what is really important and what is not. This is a great gift. I know this and acknowledge it as such and I'm eternally grateful for this blessing. To find rest in this chaotic world is not easy. I think Im learning well the lesson of lightening up!!! Thank Heavens!!